The Pentagon has lost another top official. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll submitted his resignation to President Trump on Monday evening, capping months of simmering tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that finally boiled over, according to multiple reports first confirmed by NBC News.

Driscoll, a former Iraq War veteran and Wall Street financier who has been one of Vice President JD Vance's closest allies in the administration, spoke with Trump directly about the state of the Army before handing in his letter. Deputy Army Undersecretary Dave Fitzgerald is also expected to step down this week, deepening the leadership vacuum atop the branch.

A Feud Years in the Making

The friction between the two men centered on who really controls the Army's direction. Hegseth abruptly fired Gen. Randy George, the Army's chief of staff and a close Driscoll ally, back in April without public explanation. The two also clashed over the Army Transformation Initiative, with Hegseth moving to phase out a drone battalion that Driscoll and George had championed as central to modernizing the force, per CBS News' reporting on the resignation.

Driscoll reportedly raised his concerns directly with the White House about Hegseth sidelining generals responsible for those readiness efforts — a move Hegseth allegedly viewed as Driscoll running to the West Wing to go around him, thanks in part to his tight relationship with Vance.

"Secretary Driscoll has been highly effective in advancing President Trump's agenda to Make America Strong Again at the Department of the Army," White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement, crediting him with "providing outstanding leadership during historic military operations" and "restoring an emphasis on readiness and lethality."

Confirmed to the post in February 2025, Driscoll's tenure included the operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, involvement in the war with Iran, and a hands-on role in Russia-Ukraine negotiations. He now becomes the third senior Pentagon leader to depart this year, following Navy Secretary John Phelan and Gen. George — both also pushed out amid Hegseth's aggressive reshuffling of military brass, as Axios detailed in its account of the fallout.

Neither Trump nor Hegseth has publicly addressed the resignation in detail, and the Pentagon has not named a permanent successor. With Fitzgerald also on his way out, the Army is now left without confirmed civilian leadership at a moment when Trump's broader defense reshuffle — and midterm-season scrutiny of the Pentagon — shows no signs of slowing. Lawmakers and defense watchers are expected to press the administration this week on who steps in next, and whether more departures are coming — a question separate reporting on the fallout inside the Pentagon suggests won't be settled quietly.